Cheesy Tomato and Sausage Pasta

We woke up to a foot of snow on the ground this morning.  That kind of snow only comes around once every 5 years or so in the DC area, so it's brought the whole city to a standstill!  School is cancelled, my husband couldn't get to work, and it took us 3+ hours to shovel out today.   In short, since we couldn't go anywhere, it was a perfect day for finally typing up a new recipe that we've grown to love around here.   This pasta was easy to make and full of delicious flavor.  We didn't have much left over, but what there was made for a tasty lunch the next day too! 

Click here for printable recipe. 

Posted by Lara.

The ingredients: 

1 lb. Italian sausage (I like spicy chicken sausage)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

1 can (28-oz.) crushed tomatoes

2 tomatoes, diced

1 Tbs. dried basil

3/4 cup half-and-half

1/2 lb. fontina cheese, grated

1 lb. penne pasta, cooked according to package directions ( I used rigatoni noodles)

salt and pepper, to taste

Parmesan cheese (for garnishment)

Directions:  

Cut sausage into coins and brown in a large frying pan on medium-high heat, about 5-6 minutes.  

Add garlic, onion, tomatoes, and dried basil.  

Simmer about 5 minutes over medium medium heat to combine flavors.  

Add half-and-half. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 8-10 minutes.  

Add fontina cheese and stir until melted.  

Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over hot noodles.  Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Makes 6 servings.  

Enjoy.  

Recipe Adapted from:    The Romney Family Table: Sharing Home-Cooked Recipes & Favorite Traditions

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Baked Ziti with Spinach and Sausage

With the increased pace of life now that my kids are getting older, I'm finding that more and more my recipe blogging has slipped to the back burner.  I was wondering if I'd ever regain my motivation to do it again, until one day I was making a recipe for the fourth or fifth time and I couldn't find the slip of paper that it was written down on.  That's when it struck me, I need to keep blogging if for nothing else to keep track of my favorite recipes.   I may not blog as often or with as many pictures as I usually do, but I am pleased to say that I will still at least occasionally share some of my favorite new discoveries along the way!  

This dish was a HUGE hit at our house and there was no way I was going to lose this recipe.  It was a tad time consuming to put together (about 1 hour for the prep and the baking) for a weekday night, but it was worth every bit of the effort.  Last time I made it, I made a double batch so I could freeze one for another night.  This dish is as good as the sausage you choose, so I recommend choosing a good quality Italian sausage (I used the sliceable kind [Niman Ranch spicy Italian chicken sausage is my favorite brand], but you could also use a good ground sausage if you preferred.  Just don't buy the cheap stuff in a tube.)

Click here for printable recipe. 

Posted by Lara.

The ingredients:

3 cups uncooked ziti or penne pasta (about 10-oz)

2 Tbs. olive oil

3/4 lb. spicy Italian sausage, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans (14.5-oz each) diced tomatos

1/4 cup pesto    

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

8 cups fresh spinach, chopped (about 8-oz)

1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed on package.  Drain and set aside.  Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Saute onion and garlic just until soft  (about 5 minutes).  Add sausage slices and cook until browned (about 5 minutes).  Add tomatoes with juices to pan. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.  Stir in pesto.  Add salt and pepper.  Lightly oil 9x13-inch baking dish.  Combine cooked pasta, chopped spinach, mozzarella cheese, and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Pour into baking dish.  

Pour pasta sauce over top and stir together.  Sprinkle remaining 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese over the top.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.  

Serves 6.   Enjoy!  

Recipe Source:  an old church cookbook 

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Pizza Casserole

We may still be in the dog days of summer, but my brain is already starting to look forward to fall cooking.  Usually I try to avoid turning on the oven too much in the summertime, but this casserole recipe caught my eye for the summer garden vegetables that it calls for--zucchini and peppers!  Between the cheese and the very cool looking breadstick design on top, my kids were in love with this meal and gobbled up every bite of their veggies!  I used a homemade breadstick recipe (that I've included below), but you could also just use a tube of refrigerated breadsticks to make it super easy to prepare.  

Recipe Source:  Recipe . com

Look at all that cheesy yumminess! 

Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by Lara. 

The ingredients:


1 pkg. (12-ounces) chicken sausage, cut into rounds
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 red, yellow, or green peppers, seeded and diced
2 medium size zucchini, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 cans (14-1/2-ounces each) diced tomatoes, DRAINED
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I used a little less than this amount)

1 tube (11-ounces) refrigerated breadsticks (see below for the recipe for the homemade breadsticks I used)

Directions:
In a large frying pan, cook sliced chicken sausage on medium-high heat until golden brown and cooked through (if not already fully cooked).  Remove sausage from pan and set aside. 

Add olive oil to same pan over medium-high heat and saute onion and sweet peppers for about 5-minutes.  Add zucchini and garlic; cook about 5 minutes or until barely tender.

Add DRAINED tomatoes, sausage, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper.  Cook for 5-7 minutes or until liquid is mostly cooked out.  Add 2 Tbs. Parmesan cheese. 

Spoon half of the tomato mixture into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. 

Top with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. 

Add remaining tomato mixture.  Arrange breadsticks on top in lattice pattern, trimming to fit.

Sprinkle with the remaining 2 Tbs. Parmesan  cheese and the remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until breadsticks are browned and filling is bubbly. 

Enjoy! 

BREADSTICKS (if not using pre-made breadsticks)
3/4 cup hot water
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbs. yeast
1-1/2 - 2 cups flour (I used half white, half whole wheat)

Directions: 
Mix hot water, sugar, oil, salt and 1 cup of flour together.  Add yeast and remaining flour until dough barely pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  Knead (in the mixer) for 5 minutes.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Roll out to rectangle about 1/4-inch thick.  With pizza cutter, cut dough into 8-10 breadsticks. 

Allow to sit while preparing the rest of the casserole.  When ready to use, carefully place breadsticks in lattice pattern over the top of the casserole, trimming if necessary.  Proceed with baking directions as listed above. 

Enjoy!

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Creamy Pasta with Sausage

It's taking time, but I am slowly getting back into the cooking groove again.   I'm perusing my cookbooks again, trying new recipes, and even taking pictures.  Now if I could just get back into the blogging groove too...

This pasta dish was excellent and will definitely be making repeat appearances on our menu!  I made a double batch of this for my family and some visiting relatives and there was not a single bit of it left over afterward.  If you're looking for a fuss-free crowd pleaser, then look no further...

Recipe Source:  Mrs. Schwartz's Kitchen

Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by Lara.

The ingredients:


1 package (12-ounces) Italian Sausage (I loved this Niman Ranch brand--from Whole Foods)
1 lb penne pasta (or variety of your choice)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 cups cream or half and half
1-1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese + additional for garnish
1 cup frozen peas

Directions:
Start by taking the casing off of the sausage, cut a long slit in the casing and pull out the meat.  Add this to a large skillet and cook as you would ground beef.  (OR if your sausage is fully cooked like ours was, then you can just slice into "coins" and brown it in the frying pan.)

Remove the sausage from the frying pan and set aside.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water. 

Add the onion to the frying pan and cook in the sausage grease for about 3 minutes.

  After 3 minutes, add the garlic.  Cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Add the red pepper to the pan and cook for about a minute.

Add the cream to the skillet and bring to a slight bubble on medium heat (but not a full boil). 

Add the cheese once it barely comes to a bubble.  Stir and bring back to a slight bubble and let it thicken.

Add the cooked pasta, sausage and peas to the pan.  Toss to coat in the sauce.

To serve, plate the pasta and top with additional Parmesan cheese and parsley, if desired.  Makes 5-6 servings. 

Enjoy!

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Cheese Crusted Lasagna Soup

After a whole week of nonstop Halloween treat recipes, I'm pleased to announce that, yes, we eat real food too!  This soup from the ever-amazing SnoWhite at Finding Joy in My Kitchen is destined to be a new family favorite at our house.   It was hearty, flavorful, and full of sausage and noodles, which are always surefire tickets to culinary success at our house.  If you have picky young kids (or even adults), I highly recommend chopping the veggies pretty small (including the mushrooms and spinach).  It not only makes the soup more evenly textured, but my kids didn't even bat an eyelash at the presence of the normally offensive mushrooms, since they were hidden surreptitiously among the rest of the yummy stuff.  :)

Recipe Source:  Finding Joy in My Kitchen

Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:


SOUP: 
1 lb. Italian sausage (we like the "hot" version)
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. oregano
8-ounces mushrooms, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, diced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Tbs. tomato paste
2 cans (14-ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
6 cups chicken broth (or 6 cups water + 6 bouillon cubes)
1 bay leaf
8-ounces whole wheat pasta shells
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped (with it chopped finely, I definitely think I could have added another cup or two of spinach)

CHEESE BASE (per bowl):


1 Tbs. ricotta cheese (low-fat is great)
1 Tbs. Parmesan cheese, shredded
2 Tbs. mozzarella cheese, shredded
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: 

Remove casings from sausage and cook on medium-high heat until browned and cooked through.  Drain and set aside. 

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil and add onion, garlic, oregano, mushrooms, bell pepper, and red pepper flakes and saute about 5 minutes.  Add in sausage and tomato paste and saute an additional 5 minutes.

 Add in the diced tomatoes, broth and bay leaf.  Simmer the soup for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.  Add in the pasta and spinach and cook until tender; about 7-9 minutes.  Remove the bay leaf.  Add in basil and season with salt and pepper.

To Serve with Cheese Base:
Place 1 tablespoon ricotta cheese in the bottom of each soup bowl.   Top with Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper, as desired.  Serve soup over the cheeses in the bowl.

Makes 10 servings. 

Enjoy!


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